Victorian
England and Europe, 1840-1900

copyright 1997 by Historical Novelists Center

The long reign of Victoria encompassed so many fashions, wars,
and changes of other countries' governments that it could easily
be subdivided. Yet, travel was becoming so open, it becomes difficult
to extricate one country from another.
Be sure and catch the Atlas of Civilisation series, in this case
the WWI and before chapters of The Cultural Atlas of France,
The Cultural Atlas of Russia, etc.

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Arnold, James

All Drawn By Horses *****!
Newton Abbott, Long & NY; David & Charles, 1979
Good text with line drawings by the author, and an invaluable
2-page glossary of coach terms. Freight wagons as well as phaetons;
in fact, heavier on the wagons, which do all the duty of trucks,
while on the streets of old only the richest had the carriages
equivalent to cars. T2

Baynton-Williams, A.

Town & City maps of the British Isles: 1800-1855
****
Studio Press
Beautiful engraved maps for your major centers as they were then.
T2

Bierman, John

Napoleon III and His Carnival Empire ***
John Murray Ltd., London, 1989; bibliography, index
This very detailed bibliography is fun reading, but we ran into
one massive, gratuitous tabloid story that makes us suspicious
of the other side stories in the book. In Chapter 3, Bierman
describes Count d'Orsay as the bisexual lover of both Lord and
Lady Blessington, as if this were established fact. Moers, while
covering this, presents the far more likely interpretation that
d'Orsay was, like many great dandies, narcissistic neuter, and
Lady Blessington frigid, preferring a platonic companion. Bierman
also states, "Lord Blessington ... forced his innocent daughter
into marriage with d'Orsay to provide a cover for his own relationship
with the Frenchman." In fact, the Blessingtons had added
d'Orsay to their menage years before as a son with his parents'
blessing and permission; it was only as a provision of Lord Blessington's
will that d'Orsay married one of his daughters. Very clever of
Lord Blessington to arrange a cover for his post-mortem sex life.
Both daughters were in their early teens, and in the habit of
the day, it was to remain a "marriage blanc" until
she were 18. She ran away at 17 to relatives, and her stories
are highly suspect. T2

Bloch, Ivan

Sexual Life in England, Past & Present *****!
1938; now from Oracle; 664 pgs !!
What had to be privately printed in 1938 can be of general interest
now. Despite the title, only covers from the Anglo-Saxon period
through the late 1800's, but in a full range, from streetwalkers
to the escapades of royalty, from staid marriage arrangements
to kinky erotica. T2

Blum, Stella, editor

Paris Fashions of the 1890's: A Picture Sourcebook
with 350 Designs, including 24 in Full Color *****!
Dover, NY; 88 pg
Young women's and children's fashions in England, with a French
bent, from The Young Ladies' Journal.

Victorian Fashions and Costumes from Harper's Bazar,
1867-1898 *****!
Dover Publications, Inc., NY; 320 pg, 1000+ illos
Stellar costume book, detailing materials and colours as well
as styles, but most valuable for its illustrations of how women
did their hair in the period. T1

Boucher, Francois

Twenty Thousand Years of Fashion; the History of
Costume and Personal Adornment ***
Harry N. Abrams, 1966; 440 pg, index, glossary
Strong in this period, well illustrated, with photos of surviving
garments when possible. T1

Fire and Stone: The Science of Fortress Warfare,
1660-1860 ****
Hippocrene Books, NY, 1975; now from Greenhill
Well-written, well-illustrated and well-designed. The Fortess
Wargame for Miniatures is tactical fun while teaching you how
things can work or go wrong. The other appendix, on how to tour
old fortifications, is good if you get to make the research trip.
T3

Ehrlich, Blake

London on the Thames ***
Little, Brown & Co., NY, 1966
Each chapter tours London at a different period, often in the
newest neighborhood of the expanding metropolis. T2

Fay, Charles Edey

The Story of the "Mary Celeste" ****
Peabody Museum, Salem, Mass., 1942; now Dover Publications, Inc.;
261 pg, index, Bibliographical Notes
Almost more detail than you can stand on the "mystery ship"
found floating, abandoned, in 1872. T3

The Horizon Cookbook and Illustrated History of
Eating and Drinking Through the Ages ****
American Heritage Publishing, Inc., 1968
Part One has the description of customs and habits, foods available,
and some interesting art. Part Two has the tastiest recipes,
done for the modern kitchen. Especially hits this period in Part
One. T1

Harfield, Alan

The Indian Army of the Empress, 1861-1903 ***
Spellmount
Details the forces and actions of the British Raj in far greater
breadth than an Osprey book. T2

Hibbert, Christopher

London, the Biography of a City ***
William Morrow & Co., Inc., NY, 1969
Runs it all down through time, with good coverage of this period.
T2

Hogg, Ian V.

The History of Fortification ***
St. Martin's Press, NY, 1981
Clear, interesting and accurate overview from 7000 BC through
the 1970's, well illustrated with photos and diagrams; bibliography
and glossary. T3

Inglis, Brian

Trance: A Natural History of Altered States of
Mind ****
Paladin/Grafton Books, London, 1990
A history of animal magnetism, mesmerism, hypnotism, and related
phenomena, especially the parts that do not fit materialist scientism.
Details the researchers and their studies through this century.
T3

Ingraham, Holly

People's Names: A Cross-cultural Reference Guide
to the Proper Use of Over 40,000 Personal and Familial Names
in Over 100 Cultures *****!
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, NC; 1997;
613 pgs, index, select annotated bibliography
The Contemporary half will provide your world-wide naming needs,
both individual and family names, but there is a special chapter
on Victorian American naming fashions. T1.

Kohler, Carl

A History of Costume ****
Dover Publications, Inc., NY
Hand-sized, info-packed, based on surviving clothes first and
artwork secondarily. Author's line drawings of construction and
detail. Neophytes should use with a picture book, which it will
greatly clarify. T1

Laver, James

The Age of Illusion: Manners and Morals 1750 to
1848 ***
D. McKay Company, NY, 1972
How people think and act, as well as how they thought they ought
to think and act. T2

MacColl, Gail, and Carol McD. Wallace

To Marry an English Lord ****
Sidgewick and Jackson, Ltd., London, 1989
Whether the hunting of titles by rich young Yankee women (and
some Western heiresses), or the hunting of heiresses by bankrupt
(largely British) noblemen, the cross-Atlantic traffic forever
changed both Society and possibly world affairs. These are the
details from Mrs. Astor's Four Hundred to the weddings, the parties,
life in England, and how to remarry or at least play around.
Covers 1860 to about 1910. T3

Machray, Robert

The Night Side of London *****!
1902; now from Paul Harris Publishing, Edinburgh; 300 pg, no
index; illustrated by Tome Browne
Author and artist went out on the pavements, to the stations,
to the grand balls and the Shilling Hops, and report back to
you. Not scientific, written to be amusing with too many now
incomprehensible catch-phrases and then well-known tags. Fascinating
for the internalized class-status. Just on the border, but refers
back to older institutions. T3

Mitchell, R. J., and M.D.R. Leys

A History of London Life ***
Penguin Books, Inc., NY, 1958
Different areas of the town at different periods. T2

Moers, Ellen

The Dandy: Brummell to Beerhohm *****!
The Viking Press, Inc., NY, 1960
An absolute must-read for high society! Will give you a fine
feeling for exclusivity and ton. T2

Nock, O .S., editor

Encyclopedia of Railroads ****
Galahad Books, NY, 1977; 480 pg, index
History of railroads and equipment over the entire world, including
Africa, Asia, and south America. Sections on equipment and operation,
also the great luxury trains, past and present. Gorgeous colour
layout, oversize. One lap-breaker worth the effort of lifting.
T1

Oppenheim, Janet

"Shattered Nerves": Doctors, Patients,
and Depression in Victorian England ***
Oxford University Press, 1991; 389 pg, index, bibliography hidden
in the Notes
Interesting history of the development of psychiatry in England,
with occasional flashes of influential development in France
and America. Some case histories, more histories of the doctors,
good definitions in text, but retains that dry, scholarly air
even at its best. Vital if you are going to have anyone go off
their head or consult a mad-doctor. T3

Payne, Robert

The Gold of Troy: The Story of Heinrich Schliemann
and the Buried Cities of Ancient Greece ***Funk & Wagnalls, NY, 1959; 273 pg, no index,
bibliography
A bit dated now, especially in his lack of knowledge of the real
perfidy of Schliemann in falsifying his data, but still a good
look at how archeology operated in its infancy. Payne does not
in the least glorify Schliemann, but paints him as the determined
egotist he was. T3

Piper, Leonard

Murder by Gaslight ****Michael O'Mara Books, London; Gallery Books, W.H.
Smith Publishers, Inc., NY, 1991; 219 pg, no index, no bibliography
True crime. Ten English murder cases, often multiple murder,
from the 1890's through 1910 or so. These may be in the news,
then again, they may just give you an insight into the mind of
period criminals, who did not have to worry about fingerprints,
blood-typing, and the rest, and period detectives, who had to
find other ways to nail murderers. T2

Reader's Digest Books, the editors

Reader's Digest Book of the Road ****Reader's Digest Association, Ltd., London
Identifies the wildflowers, trees, shrubs, birds, wild mammals,
butterflies, sea shells, reptiles, fish, and farm animals of
the British Isles. Lets you know what blooms in which month,
especially useful if you are writing in Taos. T3

Salmonson, Jessica Amanda

The Encyclopedia of Amazons: Women Warriors from
Antiquity to the Modern Era *****!Paragon House, NY, 1991; 290 pg, no index, bibliography
Until the institution of the real physical exam for the military,
women still manage to serve on many fronts, but mostly when battlefields
sweep over their own country. T2

Sedgwick, Michael

Antique Cars *****!Exeter Books, NY, 1981; illus. by Mike Atkinson;
93 pg, index, technical information table.
Shows the 81 early autos -- 1860 to 1918, gas or steam, all sorts
of configurations and drives -- in the usual photos, but also
in colour paintings that remind you how cheerfully bright, like
coaches, these cars often were. Even an otherwise all black one
will have red spokes on the wheels, or brightly coloured leather
seats. T2

Somerset, Anne

Ladies-in-Waiting, from the Tudors to the Present
Day ****Knopf, dist. by Random House, NY; 1984; 341 pg,
index, bibliography
Discusses the duties and personalities, how appointments were
made, kept, and lost in the English court down the centuries
T3

Stephens, Autumn

Wild Women: Crusaders, Curmudgeons and Completely
Corsetless Ladies in the Otherwise Virtuous Victorian Era ****Conari Press, Berkley, CA, 1992; 249 pg, no index,
bibliography
150 mini-biographies (none over two pages) of unconventional
women. Good to whet the appetite for further research in the
bibliography. Note the social hell these women caught, too, for
their actions. T2

The Cut of Men's Clothes 1600-1900 *****!Theatre Arts Books, 1964
The most fashionable men's dress, in period illustrations, with
tailor's patterns, period comments on colours and fabrics, etc.
Superb. T3

The Cut of Women's Clothes, 1600 to 1930 *****!Theatre Arts Books, 1968
The same for women. Both books show fastenings! T3

Wilkes, John

The London Police in the Nineteenth Century ****Cambridge University Press, 1977; 52 pg, index
A slim volume with many pictures, which is not always a fault.
Life as a Peeler, as well as the big names. Whole chapter on
events leading up to the Battle of Sydney Street. The fear of
anarchists connected with this is also covered in one story in
Piper, above, "The Warsaw Restaurant" with which it
makes a nice partner. T2

Wise, Arthur

The Art and History of Personal Combat *****!Arma Press, New York Graphic Society Ltd., Greenwich,
CN, 1971
Necessary for proper duelling techniques and behaviors, also
good on the fencing instructors and salons. T3

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Websites

H-GIG Historical Times & Places ***

http://www.ucr.edu/h-gig/topperindex.html
A thorough-going linksite maintained by the University of California
at Riverside, H-GIG sorts by area, by era (ancient, Medieval,
early Modern, Modern<yours>, and 20th C), or by topic (military,
women, etc.). It's a good place to start a hunt for books and
essays online.

The Phrenology Page ***

http://www.LHOON.com/phreno/index.html

"Phrenology is the science which studies the relationships
between a person's character and the morphology of the skull."
Includes a historical overview, definitions of words and concepts,
and images with meanings of various characteristics.